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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

I'm your cook, not your doctor. ~PAULA DEEN

I found out what the secret to life is: friends. Best friends. ~Ninny Threadgoode

Sunday, April 29, 2012

A quick, easy and delicious no-cook pizza sauce made with a tomato paste base and a nice blend of seasonings and herbs.

Easy Homemade No Cook Pizza Sauce

We had homemade pizza Friday and of course I used my favorite thin and crispy crust recipe. I have nothing against home delivery of pizza, and even deli or frozen pizza - not one iota. We enjoy them all ourselves at one time or another, but this dough comes together so quick and easy that you can literally be eating pizza faster than you can run to the store, or call and get one delivered to your door y'all. It's a just-right dough too and hands-down the best thin crust to suit my needs. I hope you'll try it sometime!

In the past, I've used both a store-bought sauce and a favorite cooked pizza sauce with that dough, but a couple months back I found a new sauce I just love, and to simplify things further, it's a no-cook sauce that's both quick and easy, and delicious. It came from a cookbook I received last Christmas from Santa, along with a Ninja brand blender to replace a duct taped blender I had been using. I kid you not.

I had dropped the glass pitcher to my blender, breaking the handle and leaving exposed sharp edges at the top and bottom of where the handle once was. But the motor was fine, so I literally wrapped duct tape on the edges of the broken glass and continued using it. Even for me, that might be carrying the "use it up, wear it out" thing a little too far, but I'll be honest with you here. There's duct tape holding the handle of my old KitchenAid food processor together too.

And, yes, I am absolutely the kind of woman who not only loves to receive kitchen appliances for Christmas, but who actually asks for them. I told my husband the other day that I'd much rather he bring me home a basket of fresh veggies from a roadside stand, than flowers or some trinket - including jewelry I don't wear. 99.9% of the time I don't even wear my wedding rings because I'm in the kitchen cooking so much, that often on those rare occasions that I leave the house, I don't even remember to put them on then either.

This sauce is so crazy easy to throw together using that machine, that it's downright ridiculous, and actually, I now make both the dough and sauce in the Ninja. Of course, any food processor, or other strong blender, or even a bit of elbow grease would work just as fine. Like my dough recipe, this recipe makes enough for two large pizzas, though the sauce can also be tossed with pasta and sprinkled with a little freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or even spooned over fried chicken cutlets or cube steaks and topped with a little mozzarella for another couple of quick supper ideas too. Double the recipe and freeze the extra.

Here's how easy it is. Put everything all together into your food processor or blender, pour in one cup of warm water and whirl it all together. Voila! That is it. Easy pizza sauce. And it's a very tasty one too!

I know I'm a windy writer, but if you don't mind reading on a bit more, here's a bit of interesting local pizza history. Many, if not most of us here in South Mississippi, eat our pizza topped with French dressing. Yep. We sure do! Though it's evolved to include the darker, more reddish Catalina version these days, it started off with a homemade creamy version of the classic, bright orange style of French dressing pictured below.

I've tried both and still prefer the creamy classic myself.

It's believed that, at least locally, topping pizza with French dressing started sometime back in the very early 60s, at a little lounge and restaurant owned back in the day by Hugo Rungo, called Hugo's Ristorante Italiano, more commonly Hugo's Pizza - or just simply Hugo's. Located on Division Street in Biloxi, near both of the east gates of Keesler Air Force base, and not very far away from the football stadium, it was a favorite hang-out among the young airmen and civilians working at the base, as well as the high school football after-crowd. Hugo's, opened in the early 50s and now long gone, became quite famous for their brick oven pizzas and folks came from all over the coast to get one.

My earliest memory of Mama working was at Hugo's, which I distinctly remember smelling as much of beer as it did food, even though the bar was on one side and the restaurant seating on the other. Seems to me there was a big potted plant they pulled in between the open doorway between the two areas to indicate whether the bar was open or closed - the same spot where this picture appears to have been taken.

Looking at that picture is like stepping back in time for me because I can distinctly remember that long bar and those tables like it was only yesterday that I was sitting right there at one of them. Back when I was still an only child and we lived on Back Bay, Mama didn't own a car or even drive, so with Daddy a little tight with the wallet and Hugo's within walking distance from where we lived, she took a job there. I doubt my Daddy even knew to be honest. He was pretty old school, and didn't agree much with women working outside of the home, but my Mama was rather independent minded and stubborn. I can remember sitting in a stool at that very bar as a young child when apparently Mama had to drag me along with her to work for whatever reason at least this once.

Though it wasn't all that unusual for a child to be seated on a bar stool with a parent back then (think Fisherman's Hangout for you locals) I guess the bar area wasn't open until later in the day, so best I can recall, I was planted over there while Mama worked through the rush. On the bar sat one of those little bar birds that rocked back and forth, dipping it's beak into a shot glass, and I can remember distinctly tapping it over and over to keep it going and keep my boredom at bay. I can also point you to tables in this picture where I actually sat many years later, while eating or waiting on a pizza for take out, though by then I believe it was actually under new ownership.

The tale on how the French dressing on pizza trend actually started at Hugo's has a few variations as tends to happen over the telling of a story, but a fella using the name "JBeaugez" over on the Chowhound boards, claims to be a living eye witness along with his wife, a then student at d'Iberville High School. He says, a friend and fellow student of his wife started it quite accidentally back in 1964, when some of the French dressing from his side salad made its way onto his pizza slice. He tasted it, liked the way it tasted, folks with him tried it on their slices, and also liked it. From then on, it took on a life of its own, as folks began asking for French dressing with their Hugo's pizza orders.

Didn't take long for squeeze bottles of French dressing to become prominent condiments on the tables of other pizza joints in Biloxi, or for it to travel up to USM campus in Hattiesburg with graduating students, where it just expanded across the coast from there.

Don't you just love food with history? Try it - you might just like it. Sprinkle a little bit of red pepper flakes on your pizza too while you're at, because like French dressing and grated cheese on pizza, that's pretty much a tradition here too. I never did care for the grated cheese myself. And try this sauce on your next homemade pizza too - I think you'll love it! Here's how to make it.

For more of my favorite sauce and condiment recipes, visit my page on Pinterest!

If you make this or any of my recipes, I'd love to see your results! Just snap a photo and hashtag it #DeepSouthDish on social media or tag me @deepsouthdish on Instagram!

Material Disclosure: Unless otherwise noted, you should assume that post links to the providers of goods and services mentioned, establish an affiliate relationship and/or other material connection and that I may be compensated when you purchase from a provider. You are never under any obligation to purchase anything when using my recipes and you should always perform due diligence before buying goods or services from anyone via the Internet or offline.

Note: The photos of Hugos were sent to me by a reader in a collection that someone had passed on to them and that someone had passed on to them. I have no idea the original source, but if you know, please let me know so that I can give proper attribution.
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What a great "good food conversation".....I just might have to try this soon! I know I can get Kraft French Dressing...but is Catalina even available? I remember pouring Catalina dressing over left over roast beef and sticking it under the broiler. Damn...I am making myself hungry.

Homemade pizza and sauce are HUGE favorites in this house! Last week, I didn't have any homemade sauce defrosted and when I tried to use the jarred, I couldn't get the jar open. I actually bruised my hand trying and I had to send my kids to the neighbors. I thought big, strapping, police-man hubby would open it, but the kids said his pregnant wife came to the rescue instead. That wasn't at all embarrassing! Next time I'll remember to defrost the good stuff!

Don't feel bad because we've been having that same jar problem here! I don't know what they are sealing those jars with these days but mercy! They are really getting hard to open!! I have to break out the gripper most times because I cramp my hand.

This one is very good Ellen & super easy - I hope that you'll give it a try. You know we did talk about that Ranch dressing on the Facebook page the day that I shared this recipe. I'm sure it's good too!

Hi Sheila & welcome! Yep, that's me. I'm pretty old school about using things up so I am horrified when I see younger folks throwing away things that are still perfectly good but maybe not so "perfect" and things that can be re-used again somewhere on down the line. I did finally upgrade my blender to a Vitamix - that took me a long time because of the price - and because we moved and I have a larger kitchen and more counter space than I used to, I now also have a shiny new KA food processor that is pretty enough to keep out. I find that I use it much more often since it's right there.

Wow, now I know what and why my grandparents spoke often about their time spent at Hugo's Pizza. My grandpa was a young airman at the time and stationed at KeeslerAFB. My grandpa would mention having a beer or two with other airmen at Hugo's Pizza a few times, although I suspect it was probably more than that:) My grandma would talk about Biloxi's white sands, friendly people and this place called Hugo's Pizza. My mom went to kindergarten there as well. They were only there for a little more than a year before he got stationed again in Riverside, CA. Back them it was a real treat to go out to eat but my grandma said they would try to go eat there at least once a week but at least twice a month. They got a dog right after I was born and they named him Hugo! I know it sounds crazy but I think they liked the name and it brought back a lot of good memories for them regarding their time spent at Hugo's Pizza and in Biloxi. They had to eventually put the dog down at 14yrs old because he was rapidly losing his ability to use his muscles. It got to the point where they had to carry him everywhere. I showed my mom this post and she said that this was the place where they would go to eat. She cried a little because she remembers Biloxi being a fun part of her childhood. I think also partly because my grandparents were there as well and have since passed on. She says thank for sharing this post.Ok, I made your homemade pizza sauce and it was extremely easy to throw together and tastes great. I put it in a tightly covered jar in my refrigerator and my kids want to help make the dough so I am grateful for their interest, and am sure this WILL probably be interesting. So we are ready to go for dinner tomorrow night! Thank you for sharing your post, I appreciate as does my mother. I hope all is well with you and your family. Thank you for taking a little stroll down memory lane!

French dressing on pizza, yummmm. I can't eat it any other way--that's how folks from the coast eat it. I've been looked at very strangely when I've ordered a cup of dressing with my pizza. I've even gotten my non-coast family eating it that way!

Yep! Had that same experience many, many years ago on a family trip to Disney. We had lunch at Pizza Hut and asked for a cup of French dressing with our pizza. The server looked at us like we had two heads!

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The classic southern plate for supper is made up of meat and three, cornbread or rolls & a tall glass of sweet iced tea.

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